Court of Public Opinion
by rewob17
Summary: An off duty shooting has disastrous consequences for one of Five-0. The ohana must rally to protect their own and make the team, and ohana, whole again.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the regular characters, which is probably harder on me than it is on them. Some of my original characters do appear later in the story - those do belong to me to do with what I please. :-)

A/N: Many, many thanks to Fifilla for her help (and nagging!) with this story. Originally this was going to be a quick two or three chapter story, but thanks to Fifilla convincing me that would not do it justice, it became what it is now. Her encouragement, more than anything, gets me to write these stories. Thank you, my friend.

Thank you to Wenwalke as well for the beta and comments. I appreciate your help, and any mistakes and/or confusion that remains, is all on me.

The idea for this story came from a local incident this summer. Some of the comments about the officer afterwards got to me so I had to write this and get some of that out. This story is completely written so I hope to be able to post regularly. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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><p>Danny stood in the aisle at his local drugstore and double checked the shopping basket he held. He had an Ace bandage, ibuprofen, ice packs, crossword puzzle book and a pink squishy football. He glanced at his watch and decided he had time to go down the snack aisle for some treats to keep Grace happy. Rachel had called him almost in a panic, just half an hour before, to say that Grace had had a minor accident at cheerleading practice and had sprained her knee. It was his weekend with his daughter so he needed to make sure he had what he needed for a weekend inside since her doctor had advised her to not put weight on that leg all weekend.<p>

Danny was about to walk out the door after checking out when he heard a shout and short scream from the back of the store. He quickly dropped the sack and rushed to the back of the store where the pharmacy was located. He patted his hip, reassuring himself that his weapon was still there. He slowed to a halt as he neared the corner where the raised voices were located. He couldn't see anything, but he could plainly hear a loud, female voice demanding drugs. The clatter of pill bottles told him someone was complying with the demand.

"C'mon," the angry voice demanded again. "Hurry up! Just dump 'em all in there and hand 'em over."

"Okay, okay," a frightened voice responded, "just don't shoot... Please don't shoot me."

Danny took in his options and realized he really only had one. There was no way to see what was going on without being seen himself, but he wasn't going to be able to help anyone if he was skulking around the corner. He glanced around and didn't see anyone. Danny stepped around the corner and took two steps to the pharmacy counter, arms spread wide so the drug thief wouldn't see him as a threat, "Hey..."

As Danny stepped around the corner to announce himself, he heard running feet and giggling voices approaching behind him that hadn't been there just a moment before. He also saw the drug thief, a young woman no older than 23 he guessed, with wide eyes and a shaking hand swing the weapon in his direction. Out of the corner of his eye, Danny saw an elderly woman walking with a cane appear at the end of the aisle just as the footsteps behind reached him and almost surpassed him. In the split second he had to take in all that was happening, his years of training kicked in and time seemed to slow. He drew his own weapon and fired on the drug thief just as she pulled the trigger of her own weapon. The young woman's gun clicked but didn't fire; Danny's shot hit its mark, and the woman was thrown backwards, blood blossoming on her shirt as she landed awkwardly behind a shelving unit and didn't move.

Danny jumped over the pharmacy counter quickly, gun still drawn and trained on the suspect. He glanced at the still scared pharmacist, "Are you okay?"

The pharmacist could only nod and watch as Danny carefully approached the wounded suspect. She didn't begin to shake from nerves until Danny had reached for a pulse on the thief, and with a sigh, holstered his weapon.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Danny asked, gently steering the pharmacist to the door to get out of the confining area. He guided her to a seat and made her sit before he noticed the throng of people arriving, chattering uneasily.

"Hey, mister," a store employee nervously approached. "I've called the cops so you better stay put."

"What?" Danny was confused for a moment and then pulled out his badge. "Oh... Detective Williams, Five-0. Just direct HPD back here when they get here."

Danny didn't notice the grumbling as he made sure, once again, that the pharmacist was doing okay. He then moved back towards the counter and looked over at the dead suspect. He shook his head at the absolute waste of life. She looked so young, and now she'd never get any older. He shook off a feeling of guilt at his part in that. What choice did he have? She'd been in the midst of a crime, and had pointed a gun at innocent people as well as a police officer though Danny now realized he'd never actually had the chance to tell her that as she'd swung the weapon on him so quickly. Again, he sighed. He'd had no choice at all, but he still felt bad that he'd ended her life so young.

Danny was still brooding a few minutes later when he felt a hand on his arm, "Danny?"

"Oh," Danny jumped ever so slightly. "Duke."

"You're the shooter?" Duke inquired. "What's Five-0 doing here?"

"I'm not here officially. I was just here picking some stuff up for Grace. She sprained her ankle at cheerleading practice. I heard the commotion in the back and came to see what was going on." He jerked his head in the direction of the dead thief. "She had a gun on the pharmacist and then turned it on me. Her gun jammed... mine didn't."

Duke nodded and glanced at the dead woman on the floor. She looked young and Duke knew that most officers were affected in some way by killing someone even if that person may have been in the wrong. It was especially worse when it was unexpected and you didn't have time to prepare yourself for the possibility. He put a hand briefly on Danny's shoulder, "Why don't you go home to Grace? We'll get the witness statements, and you can file your report later."

"Thanks, Duke," Danny tiredly smiled and then turned back as a thought occurred to him, "How'd you get here so fast, anyway?"

"We were across the street providing some extra security for Senator Grimway when the call came through," Duke frowned slightly. "Watch out for reporters on your way out. They're already sniffing around for a story."

Danny nodded and walked out of the drugstore, scooping up his discarded sack as he went.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and follows. Thank you to 4thofFive who noticed Grace's injury went from knee to ankle at one point - it was originally going to be her ankle, and I changed it to knee, but obviously didn't change all the mentions of the injury correctly. :-) Hopefully, I caught the rest of them!

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><p>The next morning Danny had almost totally shrugged off the incident at the drugstore as he cleaned up the living room. Despite her injury, seeing Grace had improved his mood ten-fold the night before. They had spent a relaxing evening eating pizza and watching movies. Danny smiled as he picked up the squishy, pink football from the floor and tossed it onto the couch. He and Grace had played catch across the room, an activity he normally would have forbidden inside, when they'd grown tired of the movies. His smile widened, and he chuckled as he remembered her smiles and squeals at the normally forbidden play and how they'd had to stop throwing the little ball around when they'd both been laughing too hard to throw straight.<p>

A knock at the door interrupted Danny's thoughts, and he wondered who it could be at shortly before 8:00 on a Saturday morning. Whoever it was, he hoped they didn't mind him answering the door in his sleep pants and t-shirt. He was surprised to see Duke at the door and even more surprised to see Steve standing right behind him, looking grim. Danny waved them in, "Hey, guys, what's going on? I didn't hear my phone? Do we have a case? I just have to get dressed and get someone over here for Grace..."

"Danny, we don't have a case," Steve told him.

Danny frowned at the seriousness of Steve's tone, and, on closer inspection, he noticed his partner had a variation of aneurism face that he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. He looked between Duke and Steve and tried to decipher the mood in the air. He squinted at them, "What's going on?"

"You haven't seen the news?" Duke wondered. "Last night or this morning?"

"No," Danny waved his hand dismissively, "Grace and I watched movies last night, and I haven't turned the TV on yet today."

Duke looked at Steve, and at Steve's nod, took a breath to do something he really didn't want to do.

"What's going on?" Danny hissed, wanting to find out what the problem was before Grace was up and within hearing distance. Judging by his friends' behavior, whatever they had to tell him wasn't good.

"I'm here to collect your badge and gun," Duke informed him as gently as possible considering the circumstances.

"You're what?" He looked between the two men and shook his head. "Steve, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Danny," Steve told him. "I tried for two hours last night to convince the governor this wasn't necessary, but he's getting pressure from Senator Grimway and the media."

"But, why?" Danny sank down onto his couch and tried to think of where he'd recently heard the senator's name mentioned. It finally clicked and he looked up at Duke. "Is this because of what happened yesterday?"

Duke nodded, "Unfortunately, the Senator came over and..."

"Stuck his nose in where it didn't belong," Steve snorted disgustedly.

"And some of the witnesses talked to the media, and things are getting blown way out of proportion, and..." Duke paused and Danny could almost see the storm clouds gathering over the normally affable sergeant's head, "the media says they have an HPD officer giving them information."

"What information?" Danny's hands flew through the air as he started to get agitated and pace the room. "The woman was robbing the place for drugs and pointed a gun at me! I defended myself and all the other innocent people in there!"

"This police informant," Duke spat out the word, thoroughly disgusted at whoever had talked to the media without authorization, "apparently told the media that the suspect never fired."

"I told you her gun jammed!"

"Danny," Steve soothed, "Calm down. We're going to do this by the book, okay? Duke's going to get your statement, and..."

"And what?" Danny prompted as Steve stopped and gave him a puppy dog look. He stared at his partner unblinking for a moment and had to step closer, "And what, Steve?"

"And you're on paid administrative leave until this is all settled."

Danny blinked, letting the words settle in, "Administrative leave?"

"Paid administrative leave," Steve repeated. He shrugged and offered a weak smile, "Think of it as paid vacation time."

"Paid vacation time?!" Danny erupted. "Paid administrative leave means I'm being investigated! Paid administrative leave means someone thinks I did something wrong! Paid administrative leave means the media is going to assume I'm guilty of something I'm not!"

"Danny..." Duke tried to explain.

"Whatever happened to 'means and immunity'?" Danny continued to rant. "Not that I need it in this case, because I don't, but none of us has ever had to do this before... well, okay, Kono did that first year, but that was an I.A. witchhunt and there was that whole thing with Jameson... so what's the governor gonna do, huh? Hang me out to dry? So I guess I'm on my own..."

"Danny!" Steve grabbed his arm and tried to focus his attention, "You're not on your own, and you know it! Just stop and let us explain."

Danny took a deep breath and knew Steve was right. His ohana was always there for him and this time would be no different. He let Steve lead him back to the couch and dropped his head in his hands momentarily before looking between the two men again, "Alright, what's going on?"

"Like I said," Duke began, "Senator Grimway has gotten involved since he was nearby at the time of the... incident."

"So what's he sticking his nose in for? Senators don't usually jump right into the middle of something like this... Oh," realization sank in and Danny waved his hand, "Re-election year... never mind. Go on."

"Exactly," Steve nodded. "Re-election year, and we all know that politicians need to jump on some bandwagon."

"So what's the good senator's?" Danny snarked, "Police brutality? Gun control? What did I do to offend him that he now wants my head on a platter?"

"Senator Grimway seems to be focusing on police procedure rather than gun control," Duke explained. "The media is being very vocal about you 'shooting to kill rather than wound' and the senator is jumping on that. He seems to think that you didn't give the suspect enough warning before shooting, and then you shot her in the chest rather than just shooting her in the shoulder so she couldn't fire... his idea, not mine."

"Enough warning!" Danny was close to exploding again. "She had a gun pointed at me! And shoot her in the shoulder? You know that doesn't mean she wouldn't have been able to shoot. What was I supposed to do?"

"Exactly what you did," Steve told him with a no nonsense look. "We all know we're trained that way for a reason, but civilians don't see it that way. They think we can shoot the gun out of someone's hand like in the movies, but it's never that simple."

The three sat in silence for a moment before Danny grabbed the remote off the end table and flicked on the TV before the other two could stop him.

"I wouldn't do that," Duke warned.

"Yeah, Danno," Steve agreed, "You don't need to see that."

Danny sat transfixed and horrified as he listened to the perky young reporter, standing in front of the Palace, report, "...shooting yesterday. Our inside source tells us that Detective Williams is on paid administrative leave following that shooting. He also tells us that Detective Williams never identified himself as an officer of the law and just shot the teenage suspect, Susan Winters, without warning..."

"Teenage?" Danny looked over at Duke. "She was a teenager? She looked 25."

"19," Duke confirmed. "Turning 20 next week, actually."

Steve snorted, "Old enough to know better. The media just wants to sensationalize it by calling her a teenager."

Danny nodded and looked back at the TV where the reporter continued to drone on, "Witnesses report that Detective Williams left in a hurry after the shooting, which leads us to wonder what's going on. Are Five-0 and HPD hiding something? Why did Detective Williams shoot to kill rather than using a non-lethal method of stopping her? We'll be back after this short break to speak with the victim's family and more witnesses to this tragic incident."

"Danno?"

Danny jumped as Grace's voice sounded behind him. He quickly turned off the TV and plastered a smile on his face, "Monkey! You're up. How's the knee?"

"It's a little sore, but not too bad," Grace assured him as she let him lead her to the couch. She eyed Steve and Duke and, being her father's daughter, noticed the tension in the air. "What's going on? What was that woman on the TV talking about? Are you in trouble, Danno?"

Steve quickly stood to allow Danny space on the couch next to his daughter, "Look, Danny, we'll be back in an hour to take care of... business."

Danny smiled and nodded at their understanding and turned back to his daughter as they turned to leave, "Listen, monkey, everything will be okay. I ran into a little trouble yesterday afternoon before coming home and I had to... had to shoot a woman."

"Did you kill her?" Grace softly asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, sadly I did."

"Why?" Grace wondered.

"Well, sweetie, I didn't really have a choice. She pointed a gun at me, and I had to shoot to protect myself and everyone else around."

"Oh," Grace nodded though Danny could tell she was still thinking about something.

"What is it?" Danny encouraged her. "If you have more questions, now is the time to ask. You're probably going to hear some things in the next few days, but I want you to hear it from me."

"Why did you have to kill her?"

Danny sighed and squeezed the pink, squishy football he'd grabbed absentmindedly, "I told you, Grace, she pointed a gun at me."

"But couldn't you shoot and not kill her? Tommy says the police are all just power hungry and shoot to kill because they know they can get away with it."

"Do you really believe that?" Danny wondered, stomach twisting in knots at the thought of his daughter viewing him as some sort of monster.

Grace pondered for a split second and shook her head, "No, Danno, I don't. You've always told me that you only carry a gun to keep others safe. I know you wouldn't just shoot someone because you could."

"Good," Danny nodded. "When I shoot someone it's because I have to, not because I want to. And I know that some people think we should just shoot them in the arm or leg or something just to hurt them rather than kill them, but if someone is just shot in the arm they can still shoot at me. And I don't think a bad guy, or girl, is going to try to just shoot me in the arm. They are going to shoot me to stop me so I have to try to stop them first because I always want to be able to come home to you. Does all that make sense?"

Grace nodded, sadness melting away at her dad's reassurance.

"Good," Danny smiled. "So how about I make you some breakfast, and then I'll let you beat me at cards."

Grace nodded enthusiastically, "How about French toast? Can you make French toast?"

"With cinnamon and powdered sugar sprinkled on top?"

"Of course."

"Anything you want, Monkey," Danny grinned and lobbed the pink, squishy football at his daughter from the kitchen doorway.

"Danno!" Grace giggled.

Danny felt some of the weight lift off his chest as he heard his daughter giggle. So long as she still believed in him, and loved him, he didn't care what anyone else thought.


	3. Chapter 3

By Monday morning, Danny had learned to avoid any form of media outlet. He'd tried to watch the news Saturday night to find them still talking about him and the shooting. Sunday morning he'd almost begun to believe that it would all blow over soon, and then he opened the Sunday paper to find a front page article on police brutality and whether or not the drugstore incident qualified. It was amazing to him how many so-called witnesses were popping up all of a sudden and how they were all experts on what he should or shouldn't have done. He'd had to bury the paper in the recycling bin so Grace didn't see it and get upset.

Danny glanced at his watch and grimaced as he noted the time, "How ya doin', Monkey? We have to get going if you're going to be on time for school."

"Coming, Danno," Grace crutched her way into the living room, backpack slung on her back and braids swinging wildly as she came to a stop.

"How's the knee this morning?"

Grace shrugged, rocking slightly as the crutches shifted, "Much better. Do I really have to use the crutches for school?"

Danny nodded as he grabbed his car keys, "For now. You have a check up with the doctor tomorrow, and he'll let us know whether or not you'll have to keep using them."

"I hope not," Grace grimaced. "They're uncomfortable, and so's the knee brace."

"I know, kiddo," Danny soothed. "C'mon, let's get you to school."

Grace awkwardly crutched out to the car, Danny holding her arm to help her with balance.

As Danny helped Grace into the car, he heard a "harumph" behind him and turned to see one of his neighbors watching them from her front lawn where she had obviously been pruning a shrub. She stood with arms folded across her chest and a disapproving look on her face. He offered her a short wave only to have her "harumph" again and pointedly turn her back on him. When he looked in his rearview mirror as he drove off, he noticed her watching them before storming off into her house.

The rest of the drive to school was uneventful and Danny was relieved to see they were there with plenty of time to spare. He retrieved the crutches from the back seat and handed them to Grace as she hoisted herself out of the car. "Do you want me to walk you in, or are you okay?"

"I'm okay, Danno," Grace smiled.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," Grace smiled and waved at a friend waiting on the steps as she slung her backpack over a shoulder and quickly reached up to give her dad a peck on the cheek. "See you later, Danno."

"Have a good day, monkey," Danny smiled as he watched her make her way towards her friend, and they disappeared inside the school. It wasn't until he was behind the wheel of the Camaro again that he realized he didn't know what to do next; he wasn't allowed to go into the office since he was on paid administrative leave. He finally decided to go to the grocery store since he and Grace hadn't been out of his apartment all weekend. They really needed more food, and maybe making pizza together for supper would help him feel better.

He had only gone down two aisles of the grocery store before Danny realized that maybe it wasn't such a great idea to be there. The looks and nudges had started as soon as he'd walked in the door. The paper racks at the front of the store ensured that everyone who entered had seen his face as, once again, the front page headline was about the recent shooting incident. One particular paper even questioned whether or not he should be tossed off the island. He snorted at that one considering that's what he'd wanted for the first year or so he was in Hawaii. He was about to turn around and head for the doors to leave when he decided against it, "Screw it!" He declared and continued shopping, defiantly meeting people's stares with a smile and nod.

As the checkout clerk rang up Danny's purchases several minutes later, she thought he sort of looked familiar. She finally placed why that was as she scanned his last item. She glanced around and noticed someone glowering at him from the other aisle. She placed his last item, some pizza cheese, in the sack and then smiled at him as he swiped his card in the debit machine. She handed him his receipt, "There you go, sir. Have a great day."

"I doubt it," Danny snorted.

"Don't let them bother you," the clerk urged. "They just don't understand a cop's job isn't as clear cut as they think it should be."

Danny's head snapped up, and he met her intense gaze, "Thanks, you seem to be the only civilian on this island who feels this way."

The clerk smiled, "My uncle's HPD. He says the media is out to get you because that senator is poking his nose in things he knows nothing about, and since you're Five-0, you're an even bigger target... And I think he's right."

Danny smiled and nodded at her, "Thank you."

"No problem," the clerk shrugged. "I just thought you should know that not everyone wants to kick you off this island."

"Thanks," Danny chuckled. "I'll try to keep that in mind." Danny gathered up his groceries and headed to his car. He felt a little better on the drive home, hoping that things would return to normal as quickly as possible. He had no idea how much worse things would get before that would happen.

H

5

0

Luka Hara sat in his office at The Academy of the Sacred Heart and tried to fight off fatigue with his third cup of coffee. He glanced at his watch and rolled his eyes heavenward as he noted it was only 10:00 a.m. He had returned late the night before from his training weekend with The National Guard. It had been a particularly tiresome weekend as their usual training had been interrupted by a brief call out to help clear a road from a mudslide and make sure the residents of the affected area were okay.

As he took another sip of coffee, his eyes fell on the folded paper he'd brought from home. He'd found it sitting with his briefcase from work when he'd arrived home at nearly midnight the night before. He hadn't taken the time to read it when he got home, but had brought it to work thinking he'd better read it before he got home that night. The fact that it was so obviously sitting with his stuff meant that his wife wanted him to read it for some reason. He wasn't sure if that meant there was an interesting article she wanted to discuss with him, maybe a social event she wanted to attend, or even a sale at her favorite store and she was giving him a warning that the credit card bill would be higher that month. He decided his paperwork could wait a moment while he took a quick glance through the paper. He unfolded the paper, dated the day before, and almost spit his coffee out as he read the headline: "IS DETECTIVE WILLIAMS A MURDERER?" Below the glaring headline was a grainy picture of his friend, Danny Williams.

Luka read the article through quickly and then read it a second time more carefully. He shook his head and read it a third time, hoping it would make more sense. He slowly put down the paper, not believing what he'd just read. He'd met Detective Williams and Commander McGarrett almost two years before when they'd happened to be in the building when armed men had taken some students hostage and rigged the building with explosives. He'd helped guide the two men through the school as they'd freed students and eventually taken down the men who had threatened a student to convince his dad, a judge, to throw a trial. Five-0, and Danny in particular, had also helped save the school from arson in a complicated scheme aimed at one of the teacher's husbands. Since then he'd seen Danny at various school programs. In his role as counselor at the school, he'd also talked to Grace Williams as needed, which was not very often. Occasionally, however, she'd need a kind and impartial ear to bend as she still coped with her parents' divorce and various issues that brought about. He'd also spent several weeks talking with her after she'd been kidnapped by Danny's old Jersey partner. He could remember so clearly the look on Danny's face when he'd come in to tell him about that and asked if he'd mind speaking to Grace. Danny himself had come in a few times to talk to him about the incident and Luka knew how hard the two of them worked to get past that incident, and how close a bond the father and daughter shared.

A knock on the doorframe of his open door startled him out of his thoughts. Luka looked up to find Grace Williams hesitantly standing there, balancing on a pair of crutches. He quickly shoved the paper out of sight, "Hi, Grace. What can I do for you?"

"Can I come in and talk for a few moments, Mr. Hara?"

"Of course, Grace," Luka motioned to one of the two seats opposite his desk. "What do you want to talk about?"

Grace twisted her hands in her lap and chewed her lip for a moment before looking up again, "I think my dad is in trouble."

"What do you mean, Grace?" Luka didn't want to assume Grace's anxiety was related to what he'd just read in the paper.

Grace took a moment to gather her thoughts, "I know he had to shoot someone Friday night, and... and he told me that she died."

Luka nodded, but kept quiet to let the girl speak.

"And Uncle Steve and Sergeant Duke stopped by Saturday morning to talk to Daddy, and they seemed kind of sad. I think Danno was mad."

"Do you think he was mad at them?"

Grace shrugged, "He's always kinda mad at Uncle Steve, but not really mad. Do you know what I mean?"

Luka nodded; he'd been around the two of them just a little, but in talking with Danny, he'd quickly figured out when the man was really mad and when he was just blustering as a way to cope with something.

"And then I heard a couple of kids talking, and even a couple of teachers, this morning about how he killed that girl and didn't have to," tears started to form in Grace's eyes and her voice trembled, "They said my dad is a murderer and should be in jail."

"Oh, Grace," Luka came over to her side of the desk and knelt in front of her. "It'll be okay."

"Will it?" Grace looked at him and wiped at her eyes trying to dispel the tears.

"I only just read about what's going on," Luka told her, "but I know that your dad is a good cop, and I'm pretty sure this will all blow over. I'm sorry you're hearing unkind things said about your dad, but you need to keep in mind what your dad is really like and not listen to what those other people are saying."

Grace nodded and sniffed back the tears, "You're right. My dad is the best."

"Thatta girl!" Luka patted her arm and smiled at the girl's resilience. "It might take a few days, but this will blow over, and your dad will be just fine."

Grace stood and accepted her crutches from Luka, "Thank you, Mr. Hara."

"You're welcome, Grace. You know you can come talk to me any time you need to," Luka reminded her. "Here, let me write you a pass to get back into class."

Grace left the office feeling better than she had though still a little sad. She really hoped that Mr. Hara was right and everything would be okay soon.

Luka was about to resume his seat when there was another knock at his door. He gave his coffee cup a short, longing look as he turned to see who wanted him now. He found an older, gray haired lady standing in his doorway with a large briefcase in hand, "May I help you?"

"Mr. Hara, my name is Gladys Wentwood. I am with Child Welfare Services. I am looking into an allegation of abuse involving one of your students here. The secretary out front indicated you could help me."

"Please have a seat, Mrs. Wentwood," Luka gestured to the seat Grace had recently vacated. A quick glance out his door into the office area revealed the office manager watching him intently.

"That's Ms. Wentwood," she took a seat on the proffered chair, back ramrod straight as she opened her file. "We received a most urgent call this morning from a citizen alleging that a Miss Grace Williams is being abused by her father, Detective Daniel Williams. I am here to get a few questions answered, and to remove Miss Williams from the premises, if necessary, and deliver her to a foster family immediately if the facts warrant."

Luka's mind whirled as he stared at the Child Welfare Services representative. The mere thought of Grace being abused by her dad was so absurd in his mind that he couldn't form a coherent response.

Ms. Wentwood continued, "The citizen reports that Detective Williams and Miss Grace Williams were not seen at all this past weekend, and when they did appear this morning, Miss Williams was on crutches with a brace on her knee. After the recent incident involving Detective Williams killing a teenager, the citizen is afraid for the safety of the minor, Miss Williams."

"This is absurd!" Luka was finally able to spit out. He took childish pleasure in the look on Ms. Wentwood's face at his rather unprofessional response. "Grace Williams was just in here concerned about her dad over the recent shooting incident. I personally know Detective Williams and know that there is not even the slightest chance that he is capable of harming his daughter. He has worked very hard the last few years to gain more custodial rights, and I wish there were more fathers... more parents like him!"

"Nevertheless," Ms. Wentwood responded, more stiffly than before, if that were possible, "I need to interview Miss Williams and see for myself."

Luka went to his doorway to request Grace be sent to his office; the office manager gave him a shake of her head to indicate her disbelief as well. After the incident with the kidnappers, and then later with the arsonist, the office staff were rather partial to Detective Williams and his ability to keep their school safe. None of them believed that he was capable of harming his sweet, little daughter. They all knew how he doted on her and would do anything to keep her safe.

Fifteen minutes after leaving, Grace was back and headed to the counselor's office. She quietly knocked again, "Mr. Hara? My teacher said I should come back and talk to you?"

"Yes, Grace, please come have a seat," Luka pulled out the other visitor's chair, moving it towards the far corner of his desk. "This is Ms. Wentwood. She has some questions for you."

"Okay," Grace agreed, puzzled.

"Miss Williams, I am with Child Welfare Services. Do you know what that is?"

Grace shook her head and looked hesitantly at Luka; she didn't like where this was going already.

"We are in charge of keeping children like you safe," Ms. Wentwood explained. "Would you mind showing me your arms?"

"My arms?" Grace uncertainly asked.

"Yes, your arms," Ms. Wentwood leaned forward so she could examine the arms when Grace presented them.

Grace held her arms out so the strange lady could look at them, flinching when she moved the short sleeves of her uniform shirt up and peeked underneath. She let them fall back to her lap as the woman turned back to her clipboard.

"Hmm," Ms. Wentwood muttered as she examined Grace's arms and then started to jot notes on her paper. "No bruises yet, but that could mean they're deep and not yet apparent."

"Wait a minute," Luka intervened as he heard the woman's muttering. "What are you doing?"

"The complaint report I have indicates that," Ms. Wentwood looked over her glasses at a piece of paper, "Mr. Williams had a tight hold of the child's arm as he dragged her to the car and pushed her inside."

"What?!" Grace asked in alarm as the words sank in. "My dad didn't drag me to the car and push me inside! He was helping me balance on these stupid crutches; I'm not very good with them yet."

"It's okay, Grace," Luka assured her as he noticed tears forming in her eyes. "Ms. Wentwood..."

"How did you hurt your knee?" Ms. Wentwood steamrolled right over Luka. "Did your dad do that?"

"What? No!" Grace looked again at Luka, panicked at all the questions the woman was asking about her dad. "I fell."

"Hmmm," Ms. Wentwood hummed, jotting down another note on her paper, "Fell, hmmmm?"

"Yes," Grace leaned forward, willing the woman to listen to her and really hear her as she explained. "I fell off the top of the pyramid at cheerleading practice on Friday. I twisted my knee."

"Mm-hmmm," Ms. Wentwood never took her eyes off her paper as she continued to write.

"What's going on?" Grace wondered, looking between the two adults.

Luka hesitated, hoping Ms. Wentwood would offer some sort of explanation. When she didn't, he tried to offer a gentle answer, "It seems that someone has accused your dad of abusing you..."

"What?!" Grace was astounded. "Why would anyone do that?"

"It's okay, Grace," Luka reassured her. "We'll figure this out."

"My dad would never abuse me! He couldn't... he just couldn't," Grace couldn't continue as tears started to roll down her face. The last few minutes had come so out of the blue for her that she felt like she was in the middle of a bad dream.

Ms. Wentwood looked over her glasses at Grace as the girl tried to sniffle back her tears, "The complaint I have is quite severe. Couple that with the recent shooting incident Detective Williams was involved in, along with the fact that not so long ago, he allowed his old partner and friend, Rick Peterson, to abduct you..."

"What?" Grace choked out as she shuddered at the mention of Rick Peterson's name, and all the bad memories and feelings she'd worked so hard to get over came flooding back. "NO! That's not true. Tell her, Mr. Hara. Tell her my dad didn't let that man kidnap me. He did everything he could to get me back... and he did! He saved me from..." she momentarily balked at saying the name but screwed up the courage to do so when she thought about this woman using this against her dad, "from Rick Peterson, and he put him back in jail where he belongs. He would never put me in danger, and he wouldn't, and hasn't, hurt me. That's all a lie!"

"Well," Ms. Wentwood tucked her papers aside. "I think the facts speak for themselves."

"Wh...what does that mean?" Grace almost whispered, afraid she knew exactly what the lady meant.

"I think it's clear that you cannot possibly go with your father until I look into this further. I will find a suitable foster family to pick you up this afternoon when school lets out."

"What?!" Grace stood, quickly grasping the edge of the desk as she wobbled, "NO! I don't need a foster family. I want my dad! He would never do those things! Never!"

"Grace," Luka came and stood next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder for support. "We'll figure this out. Ms. Wentwood, unless there's something I'm missing, I don't see how you have enough evidence to remove Grace from her father's care."

"Well, Mr. Hara," Ms. Wentwood practically snorted. "That is my decision to make, not yours. I will inform you of the identities of the foster parents this afternoon so Miss Williams can be placed in their care at the end of the day."

"No!" Grace looked pleadingly at Luka who rubbed her shoulder briefly to calm her.

"Ms. Wentwood, what about family? If Grace has family willing to care for her while you... investigate her father, would that be acceptable?"

Ms. Wentwood thought for a moment, "Yes, that would be acceptable so long as Miss Williams did not have contact with her father during this time so he cannot threaten her in any way."

Luka swallowed down a nasty retort, "Grace, how about if you spend a few days with family?"

"I want to be with my dad," Grace stubbornly insisted. "My mom is in Vegas."

Luka nodded, aware of the custody situation and Grace's mother's frequent trips to the mainland, "What about your uncle?"

"Uncle?" Grace was momentarily puzzled, especially by the sly look on Luka's face.

"Yes," Luka nodded at her. "Isn't Uncle Steve close by?"

Grace grinned for the first time all morning, "Yes! I can stay with Uncle Steve!"

"Is Uncle Steve married?" Ms. Wentwood questioned.

"No..."

"Then you cannot," the matronly lady shook her head. "It would not be proper for a young lady to stay with an uncle who is not married."

Grace hung her head for a moment before coming up with another idea, "What about Auntie Kono? Could I go stay with Auntie Kono? She's a woman, and she's not married so there's not even a man there."

"Yes, that could be acceptable," Ms. Wentwood studied the girl's face. "Normally, I like to meet the family the minor will be staying with..."

"This is happening quite fast," Luka smiled at her. "I'm sure that the normal restrictions and regulations you normally have in place have an allowance for something like this. I can personally vouch for Grace's aunt as I have met her and know her to be a fine, upstanding woman in the community."

Ms. Wentwood hesitated and made a decision as she glanced at her watch, "Well... I suppose that is acceptable this time. I need to go pay a visit to Detective Williams to inform him of the investigation and make him aware that he is not to contact Miss Williams until further notice."

Luka nodded and watched as the woman marched out of his office on her way to ruin Danny's day. He waited until she was out of sight before he turned to Grace and gave her the best smile he could muster, "I'm sorry about that, Grace. I'm going to give your dad a call to give him a heads up about Ms. Wentwood and what's going on. You and I both know he is not going to be happy."

Grace offered a half smile at his last statement. She wiped away her tears though she felt fresh ones forming at the corner of her eyes, "I know she said I shouldn't, but can I talk to Danno when you call?"

Luka smiled, "Of course, and then we'll give Auntie Kono a call and let her know you'll be spending the night with her. That was a really great idea you had about staying with her. I'm sure your dad won't mind at all under the circumstances."

"I can get you her number if I can get my phone out of my locker," Grace told him, pleased that he had complimented her on her idea and glad Ms. Wentwood hadn't pressed the issue. She was sure that if she knew the true relationship with Kono, she never would have agreed.

"I can get Kono's number out of your file," Luka told her. "Your dad listed his whole team as emergency contacts and told me he'd trust all of them with your life if he wasn't able to be here."

Grace smiled and felt a little more encouraged than she had in hours. She was still upset about what was going on but knew that with the help of his team, her dad would be okay and so would she.

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><p>AN: Do you guys still love me? Any guesses on how Danny is going to react about this bit of news?


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to all for the fantastic reviews. I love hearing everyone's thoughts and am so relieved that everyone is enjoying this. Read on and see if you're correct on Danny's reaction to the news about Grace.

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><p>Danny shut the door behind Gladys Wentwood, restraining himself from slamming it in fury. Despite the warning phone call from Luka Hara at Grace's school about Ms. Wentwood's visit, he still felt dazed about the whole situation. Were it not for the phone call, he would not have handled the visit as calmly as he had. He had done his best to keep his tone even and temper in check as the Child Welfare Services woman had briefly outlined the allegations against him. Grinding his teeth all the while, he listened as she forbade him from seeing, or speaking, to Grace until the investigation was concluded. Her tone of voice suggested which way she thought the investigation would go, and he was sure it wouldn't be in his favor. He knew the allegations were untrue and a direct result of the media crusade against him over the shooting so he had not said a word and done nothing to jeopardize his custody of Grace. As hard as it was, it was infinitely easier to stay calm now than do, or say, anything he'd regret later or that could come back to haunt him if this abuse allegation actually resulted in a trial.<p>

He owed Luka Hara a huge thank you for calling him and, most of all, for letting him talk to Grace. He had heard the tears in her voice but could tell she was being strong for him. He had smiled at their plan of having Grace stay with Kono and given Luka the okay to call Kono to make the official arrangement.

However, now that Ms. Wentwood was well on her way to ruin someone else's day, he was furious, and he could only think of one place, and one person, he wanted to vent to and get reassurance.

Danny didn't remember the drive to the Palace as his mind whirled with dark thoughts of losing custody of Grace. He knew that if Ms. Wentwood had her way, he would retain absolutely no parental rights. The thought of that possibility made his blood run cold, followed in short order by white hot fury. He slammed the Camaro's door shut and strode across the parking lot. As he reached the outer doors to Five-0 headquarters, he reined in his anger enough to avoid slamming open the glass doors. He made it just a few steps inside the office before he was intercepted.

"Danny," Chin burst out of his office and tried to steer Danny into his office. "You can't be here, brah."

Danny tried to shake him off, "I need to talk to Steve, Chin."

"You can't right now," Chin's voice was low but held a warning tone. He nodded towards Steve's office.

Danny glanced towards his best friend's office and could just make out Steve talking to someone in a suit. The visitor turned slightly and he could make out the profile of Sergeant Cage of Internal Affairs. Danny growled and turned back to Chin, body tense with repressed anger. "I really need to talk to him, Chin."

"I know," Chin grabbed his elbow and led him out of the offices and down the hall. "Kono clued me in on what's going on with Grace. I'm sorry, Danny, that's pretty low for someone to accuse you of that."

Danny sighed and deflated a little, "Thanks, buddy. I just really need to talk to Steve, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," they walked outside and headed to the parking lot. "Steve's been shut in his office with Cage for a couple hours now so he doesn't even know what's going on yet. I'll let him know as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Chin," Danny clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Just have him call me when he gets the chance."

Chin nodded, "We'll be in touch. I think it might be time to rethink our strategy; this is no longer a standard career witch hunt; it's gotten personal."

Danny snorted, "You can say that again." Danny climbed into the Camaro and sped away back home. To him it had gotten very personal.

H

5

0

Kono glanced surreptitiously at Grace in the rear view mirror as they drove to her place after dinner. She had picked Grace up shortly after school as Luka had suggested. He thought it would cause fewer questions with other students which, in turn, would lead to less stress for Grace if Kono met her in his office half an hour after school let out. Now they were headed to Kono's house with bags of takeout from Kamekona's shrimp truck. She frowned slightly as she took in Grace's sad expression as the girl gazed out the window at the passing scenery. Kono was pretty sure Grace couldn't tell her what was outside the car if asked.

Grace stared out the window as they left Kamekona's shrimp truck. She'd enjoyed picking up takeout with Kono and visiting with Kamekona and Flippa for a while, and had actually managed to forget the stressful meeting that morning at school and the fact that the nasty woman had decided she couldn't see her dad for a while. She sighed now as she replayed the conversation in her head and felt tears prick the back of her eyes at the nasty lies the woman had said about her Danno. She brushed back a tear at the thought of how sad he must be without her.

"Hey, kiddo," Kono interrupted her thoughts. "We're here."

Grace jumped slightly and then blinked rapidly as if coming out of a trance. She looked around to see that they were indeed at Kono's house. She grabbed her take out bag, handing it to Kono so she could grab her crutches and followed her into the house. She unslung her backpack, wobbling slightly, and looked around at the tidy, comfortable house, "Where should I put my school bag?"

"How about if we just put it right here for now?" Kono took it from her and set it by the end of the couch. "Do you have much homework tonight?"

Grace nodded and studied her feet as she responded, "Not much, but..."

"But what, Grace?"

Grace's eyes flitted up to meet Kono's briefly before returning to look down at her feet, "I just don't feel like doing it, but... but Danno won't be happy if I skip my homework."

Kono frowned slightly and then went to the girl's side for a quick hug, "It's okay, Grace. I have a feeling your dad will understand this one time. Why don't we eat, and then maybe you'll feel like doing a little."

"Okay," Grace readily agreed, fighting back tears for the umpteenth time that day.

Kono managed to get Grace to talk a little during supper. Grace told her about her cheerleading practice and the mishap that resulted in her needing the brace and crutches. Kono commiserated with her on the knee injury and, for the first time in a long time, shared her surfing story of how she blew out her knee and ended her professional career. Before they knew it, their supper was gone, leaving only the empty takeout bag and containers littering the table around their cups of water.

"Here, I'll get the dishes," Kono winked at Grace as she started to get up to throw away her stuff.

Grace giggled as Kono quickly cleared the table and disposed of their food containers. They were both startled when the doorbell rang. Grace wasn't sure why she was suddenly afraid of who it might be, though the fact that she had felt ambushed at school by the horrid Ms. Wentwood may have explained her uneasy feeling.

Kono noticed the slight look of panic on Grace's face and patted her shoulder as she walked by on her way to the front door, "Don't worry, it's probably just a friend."

Grace watched as Kono peeked through the peephole in the door and relaxed when she saw Kono's grin as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door, "Hey, cuz."

"Hello, ladies," Chin grinned upon entering and seeing Grace.

"Uncle Chin!" Grace got up and limped over to him, leaving her crutches abandoned at the table.

"Hey, Grace," Chin leaned down to accept her hug and then held up the bag he was holding. "Your dad thought you'd need some clothes for tonight and tomorrow."

Grace smiled sadly at the mention of her dad, "He didn't want to bring it to me himself?"

Chin frowned and wagged a finger at her, "You know he wanted to, but he's trying really hard to follow the rules, even if none of us like it right now, so that he can get you back as quickly as possible."

"I know," Grace sighed as she took the bag from him.

"Here, Grace," Kono handed her the crutches. "You can put your bag in my room and sleep in there tonight."

"Hey, Grace," Chin stopped her before she could head back to the bedroom. "Don't worry, okay? Uncle Steve and I have a plan... and if your dad put a note, or something, in your bag, I'm sure I don't know about it and no one else knows either, okay?"

Grace's face lit up at the mention of a plan and got even brighter at the thought of a note. She hurriedly crutched back to the bedroom and shut the door to open her bag and find the message her beloved Danno had hastily scrawled and sent to her even though she knew he could get into trouble for doing so.

Kono and Chin smiled as Grace rushed back to find the note Chin had mentioned. As soon as the door shut, Kono rounded on Chin, "So how's Danny really doing?"

Chin shrugged and sighed as they moved over to the couch to talk, "How do you think? He's mad and frustrated and can't stop pacing, but the worrisome part is that he's quiet. Much too quiet, and it's eating him up. How's Grace?"

"She's sad, and I don't think she understands what's going on," Kono told him, folding a leg under her as she sank onto the couch. "I'm not sure I do either, actually."

Chin shook his head, "It feels very personal, but Steve and I checked out this Ms. Wentwood with Child Services, and we can't find any connection that would explain why she is going after Danny so hard other than that seems to be her normal mode of operation. Unlike other case workers, 90% of her cases results in the child being removed from the home even though 75% of those cases result in the child being returned to the parent with no further incidents being recorded. She especially targets single fathers, it seems. Every case she has ever had where the allegation is against a single father, she has vehemently opposed the child being returned to him even with overwhelming evidence to support his case."

Kono whistled, "Wow, sounds like she has an axe to grind."

"Yeah," Chin agreed. "I need to do a little more digging, but at the very least, we want another caseworker assigned to the case."

"So that's the plan?" Kono sounded a little disappointed.

Chin cocked his head at her and then smiled, "You really think we'd stop there? We're meeting with the governor tomorrow. Steve's convinced he can get Denning to step in on the custody problem even though Danny's opposed to having the governor throw his weight around on his behalf."

"Why is Danny upset," Kono shook her head, "if this helps him get Grace back sooner?"

"You know Danny. He really wants to do this by the book and make sure no one has cause to question anything. He's getting so much heat over this shooting that the media is watching his every move and questioning everything he does or says so he doesn't want more attention on him if the governor steps in on the custody issue."

"This is all such a mess," Kono huffed.

"We're working on that, too, cuz," Chin assured her. "Steve is going to encourage the governor to help expedite the internal investigation of the shooting as well. He's just as frustrated as we are about the senator's involvement and the media's witch hunt."

"I hope so," Kono slumped back on the couch. "This whole thing has been blown way out of proportion especially with Danny's custody of Grace. It all just feels so surreal; I can't imagine how Danny, or Grace, feels."

Chin put his arm around his cousin and pulled her close, "I know, cuz, but we'll all be okay if we stick together."

"Ohana all the way," Kono affirmed with a definite nod.

"Stay strong, Kono," Chin encouraged her as he stood. "Gracie needs you right now. And Danny is infinitely better knowing you have her and not some stranger so don't think that what you're doing isn't helping him because right now I think you are the most important part of this whole plan."

Kono took a deep breath. She hadn't realized how much she'd needed to hear that. On a subconscious level, she had felt out of the loop, but she knew Chin was right; she was right where she needed to be for Grace, and for Danny. Danny's stress levels would be so much higher if he was worried about Grace, and he may be tempted to say or do something stupid. But this way, he knew Grace was in good hands. Hands he trusted, and she was more than happy to provide that for him. She walked to the door with Chin, "Keep me posted on what's going on, okay?"

"Of course," Chin assured her. "Danny said to tell you that if Grace wants to go to school tomorrow, that's fine, but if it will be too stressful for her, he said he's okay with her just hanging out with you. So you let us know in the morning what's going on, okay?"

"Ohana, cuz," Kono reminded him. "We'll all take care of each other, and that includes letting each other know what's going on. Give Danny a hug for me, will you?"

Chin smiled, "Sure, and remind Grace that Danno loves her and so do we."

"Thanks, cuz. Night." Kono shared a brief look with Chin before quietly shutting the door and taking a deep breath to dispel the tension. She was okay. They would all be okay. The situation was bad, but they were going to change that. Nothing was going to break apart this team or anyone connected to one of them. She headed back to the bedroom and softly knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Grace answered in response to the knock.

"Gracie, can I come in?"

"Sure."

Kono slowly opened the door to her own bedroom and found Grace stretched out on the bed clutching a worn sock monkey. She didn't look up, but Kono could see tear stains on her cheeks. She sat down and rubbed Grace's back, "You okay?"

Grace shrugged and buried her face deeper into the pillow, sock monkey partially obscuring her features.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," Kono soothed, fighting back her own tears. "We're going to get this all figured out and get you and your dad back together again very soon."

Grace nodded and rolled over slightly to look at Kono, cuffing away tears with the back of her hand, "Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do!" Kono smiled, rubbing Grace's arm. "Uncle Chin, Uncle Steve and your dad are already fighting to do just that."

"And they can do anything when they do it together!" Grace sat up and smiled, sounding more confident. "My dad said so... he meant you, too, of course."

Kono laughed, "I know, but my part of the plan is to take care of you."

"Thank you, Auntie Kono, for letting me stay with you tonight," Grace hugged her. "When that nasty lady told me I couldn't stay with Uncle Steve because he was a man, it made me mad, but then I thought maybe you wouldn't mind. I really didn't want to go stay with some foster family... I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind," Kono assured her. She squeezed back and then released her and leaned back to look at her, "I'm glad you thought of it. Now you should get a shower and freshen up. I'll go grab you a towel."

Grace took one more look at the note from her dad as Kono retrieved a towel from the linen closet for her. The simple words of, "I love you, monkey!" scrawled in her dad's handwriting, along with the stuffed sock monkey he'd given her as a baby, made her feel a little closer to him and brave enough to go on.

"Here you go, Grace," Kono handed her the towel, "Come on out when you're done, and we'll see about some of that homework, and I'll pop some popcorn for a snack or something."

The rest of the evening was uneventful and free of tears as Grace showered and then finished her homework. She assured Kono she'd be ready for school in the morning. Kono agreed that the normal routine would probably be better than sitting around worrying, and she was sure the Grace could go to Luka if need be. Plus, Kono told her if she decided differently during the day, she would be sure to pick her up as soon as possible. Kono checked on her five minutes after she went to bed and smiled when she found her fast asleep, sock monkey tucked under her cheek as she slept.

Kono wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep on the couch before being awakened by yelling from her bedroom. She kicked off the light blanket covering her and raced to the bedroom to find Grace thrashing on the bed.

"No! No! No!" Grace yelled and sobbed in the midst of a nightmare. "Danno, save me!"

"Grace!" Kono sat next to her and shook her lightly as the girl began to cry in her sleep. "Gracie, wake up! It's just a nightmare, sweetie. Please, wake up. It's okay. You're safe."

Grace jolted awake, eyes wide as she frantically looked around at unfamiliar surroundings. She let out a shaky breath when she saw Kono and practically pounced on her for a hug.

Kono pulled Grace close and put both arms around her. It broke her heart to hear the quiet crying which, thankfully, faded away after a couple of minutes. She brushed her hand down Grace's hair, "Sssh, it's okay, Grace. You're safe. Everything's okay."

Grace nodded as she heard Kono's soothing words but continued to hold on tight as she fought to stop her tears.

"It's okay, Grace. Really," Kono continued to just hold her and allow her to decide when she was ready to pull away.

After another minute, Grace loosened her hold and sat back a little. She looked around and located her sock monkey, which she quickly grabbed and held close, shuddering at the remnants of her dream.

"You okay?" Kono asked, keeping a hand lightly on Grace's arm.

Grace nodded and looked up to make eye contact before quickly looking down again while mindlessly twirling the monkey's tail, "I'm okay... it was just... I was dreaming about... about Rick Peterson."

Kono nodded in understanding while mentally cursing the wretched Ms. Wentwood for bringing back bad memories. She remembered Danny telling them about Grace's nightmares after the kidnapping and the haunted look in his eyes knowing he could do little to ease his little girl's fears. "It's okay, Grace. It was just a nightmare. Everything will be okay."

"I know," Grace assured her, feeling better as the awful dream faded. She took another trembling breath, and this time when she met Kono's eyes, she didn't look away, but held them with a silent plea.

"Do you mind if I stay with you the rest of the night?" Kono asked, correctly reading the look in Grace's eyes. "That's the best way to end a girls' night, isn't it? With a sleepover?"

Grace nodded and crawled back under the covers as Kono eased under the covers on the other side of the queen sized bed. Kono smiled as Grace took her hand in the dark and fell back asleep. She waited half an hour before allowing herself to sleep, making sure Grace didn't slip right back into the dream. She continued to hold Grace's hand and closed her eyes, praying that Danny's waking nightmare of the shooting, and Grace being taken away, would be resolved in his favor soon. She hoped he was faring better at a restful night's sleep, but she doubted it. She would find out later how right she was.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, I am weak and caving to peer pressure (you know who you are!) and giving you a bonus chapter today.

This chapter is for my DWOCD ohana for all the kind words and just for being such a great bunch of lunatics. Would you please power down your cattle prods and call back the saber toothed bunnies now? TheDogo, it's okay, you can breathe now. Oh, yes, and happy belated birthday to Irene Claire.

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><p>Danny couldn't shut his brain off. He had finally allowed Steve and Chin to talk him into trying to sleep about midnight; right after his unsuccessful half-hearted attempt to convince them he was fine and they could go home. The two had merely exchanged glances and smirked at him as they settled even deeper into their respective spots. Danny had finally thrown his hands in the air and grumbled his way down the hallway where he rummaged in a closet and then reappeared in the living room with spare pillows and blankets in hand. He tossed a pillow and blanket to Chin, who promptly stretched his legs out on the couch and plumped the pillow under his head, resting on the arm of the couch. Danny threw the other pillow and blanket at Steve, deliberately hitting him in the face, "Here you go, ninja SEAL, you probably don't want them, but since you're insisting on this little sleepover, you might as well be comfortable."<p>

Now, Danny lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He looked over at the clock and noted the time was 2:07, exactly three minutes since the last time he'd looked. He sighed heavily again and spent another half hour restlessly tossing around on his rumpled bed before throwing the covers off and thumping his feet onto the floor to sit exhaustedly on the edge of the bed. He fought back tears as he rested his elbows on knees and allowed his head to sink into his hands. Pieces of his conversation with Ms. Wentwood filtered through his head disjointedly. _Allegation of abuse. Suspicious injury. Rick Peterson. Failed to protect. Unfit for custody. Remove from custody. Rick Peterson. Rick Peterson. Rick Peterson._

Danny jumped off the bed to pace the small confines of his bedroom as thoughts of Rick Peterson chased through his mind. This time he was unable to stop a few tears from escaping, and he rubbed angrily at them. He had sworn to himself that Rick Peterson would not take anything else from him, and that included time and peace of mind. Damn that Ms. Wentwood for bringing his name up again and letting loose the demons that he'd tried so hard to put in their place. He could only hope that the woman had the decency to not bring his name up to Grace.

The thought of Grace made Danny even more restless. It was torture not having her here and knowing he wasn't supposed to see her or talk to her. The little note he'd put in the bag Chin had delivered earlier was a violation of that no contact order, but he'd not been able to resist. He paced to the window and back to the bed, but he felt too contained, and his heart was starting to race as he became more agitated. He huffed out a breath in annoyance at the tell-tale start of a claustrophobia attack. He'd never had one like this before when it was brought on simply by thoughts and not by physical surroundings. He realized he couldn't even think of one player on the 1986 Mets team to calm himself down. He ran his hands roughly through his hair and quickly grabbed a tee shirt to throw on. Dressed in only sleep pants and a wrinkled tee shirt, he had no idea where he was going to go; he just knew he had to get out of his room and just go.

Danny padded down the hall quietly and veered into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to check out his options. Despite only picking at his supper, he decided he still wasn't hungry. He grabbed a bottle of water and gulped half of it down before slamming the door shut louder than he intended. He winced as it rattled, and he heard a slight snort in the living room. He'd almost forgotten about his friends in the other room. He paused for a moment to make sure whoever it was had gone back to sleep. He sighed as he thought about going back to bed, knowing he still wouldn't be able to sleep, but not knowing what else to do. He started back down the hallway but found himself standing outside of Grace's room.

It only took one step into the room for Danny's tears to fall freely. He swiped the tears away with his shirtsleeve when they obscured his vision. He just stood in the middle of her room for a full minute and took it all in. He smiled sadly at the neatly made bed where she should have been sleeping. More tears fell as he spied a framed picture of the two of them on her nightstand. The moonlight streamed in through the window and danced across her street hockey stick in the corner with her no longer brand new roller blades. He blew out a shaky breath as he tried to get his tears under control.

"You okay, buddy?" Steve asked softly from the doorway.

Danny thought about shrugging it off, but knew his best friend knew better, "No, I'm really not."

"Yeah," Steve muttered, not knowing what else to say.

Danny turned, not caring if Steve saw his tear stained cheeks. "What are you doing up anyway? Did I wake you?"

"Wasn't you... Chin snores. It's bad, man," Steve teased their absent friend, earning a slight smile from Danny. "I'm not sure how Malia did it, but he sounds like a freight train."

Danny snorted out a laugh as he tried to keep it from turning into a sob. He sat on Grace's bed and picked up one of her fluffy, polka dot decorative pillows to hug tightly to himself. He nodded at the other end for Steve to sit. He felt another tear slide down his cheek, but he just couldn't be bothered to wipe it away, "They took away my little girl, Steve. What am I going to do?"

Steve shifted closer so he bumped shoulders with Danny, "You're going to get her back, D."

Danny shuddered and leapt up from the bed, "Don't call me that... just don't. Okay?"

"I'm sorry," Steve stood and put a hand on Danny's shoulder, noticing the not so subtle tremor in his partner. "I didn't know you didn't like that nickname."

Danny shook his head, "It's not you... that's what Rick Peterson kept calling me that day."

Steve nodded, not needing any more explanation on what day Danny meant. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I know," Danny told him and sat back down on Grace's bed, squeezing the little pillow even harder. "It's just that I can't get him out of my head tonight. "I keep hearing him tell me that he was going to kill my little girl and he'd call me 'D' with a sneer and I just... I just can't get it out of my head."

"I'm sorry, man," Steve apologized, putting his arm around his friend's shoulders. "I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry if me using nicknames upsets you... I won't even call you Danno if you don't want me to."

Danny snorted, "When's that ever stopped you?"

"I'm sorry, Danny. I am. I won't use it again if it upsets you." Steve practically groveled. "I..."

"Stop," Danny bumped his shoulder into his friend, "It's fine. Really. I've actually never minded. Even that first time."

Steve gaped at the confession, "You mean you gave me such a hard time about it for so long and you never really minded?"

Danny chuckled, "Yep. I just had to bust your chops."

The two sat in silence for another minute before Steve felt Danny stop trembling. He kept his arm around his shoulders for support, "Have you slept at all?"

"No," Danny sighed. "I tried, but I just can't get my mind off things."

"We'll get it all straightened out with the governor tomorrow, I promise. I won't let him say no. We'll get this Internal Affairs thing taken care of and Grace back to you where she belongs."

"I don't even care about the stupid paid administrative leave any more," Danny sighed. "I really don't. If they decide not to give me my badge back I'll be okay... Somehow. But if they take my daughter away, I don't know what I'll do."

"I know, buddy," Steve squeezed Danny's shoulder again as he saw fresh tears slide unchecked down Danny's cheeks. "We're going to make sure that doesn't happen. I promise."

"I know you can't really promise that," Danny sniffled, "but thanks. You guys have been great. All of you. You and Chin didn't need to waste your night here..."

"It wasn't wasted," Steve insisted.

"And Kono," Danny looked at the ceiling and blew out a breath. "I really don't know how I'll thank Kono. I'm so glad Grace is with someone she knows and who I know will take care of her."

"Ohana, Danny," Steve reminded him. "You know we'll all look out for Grace when needed. You, too, of course."

Danny nodded, "But Grace first."

"Grace first," Steve looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "She's cuter."

"Thanks, pal, you're a big help."

"I know," Steve grinned at his friend.

Danny slumped as exhaustion and stress started to finally catch up with him though he still managed a smile for his partner, "You're a big goof, but thanks. For everything. I owe you."

"You don't owe us anything, Danny." Steve assured him as he finally removed his arm from Danny's shoulder with one last squeeze and stood, "You need to try to get some sleep."

"Yeah," Danny agreed as he curled up on the bed. "I think I'll just sleep here."

Steve smiled as he watched Danny get comfortable on Grace's bed, fluffy pillow still clutched to his chest. He grabbed a nearby blanket, which happened to match the pillow in Danny's arms, and covered his partner before leaving the room. He stood outside Grace's room until he heard Danny's breathing even out and he knew he was finally asleep. Steve slid down the wall until he was sitting right outside the room, knees bent up towards his chest, and allowed his head to thud softly against the wall behind him. He'd stood watch over friends in worse places than this.


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, Danny awoke feeling groggy and in desperate need of coffee. His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten much of anything the day before.

He sat up and took in his surroundings, needing a moment to remember why he was in Grace's room. He felt the despondency return but then lighten as he recalled the conversation with Steve in the early morning hours. He was very lucky to have friends, ohana, like his teammates. He took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen to start the day.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Steve slid a mug of coffee towards him as he entered the kitchen.

Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why are you so damn cheerful this early in the morning?"

"It's 6:30. It's not that early." Steve pointed out.

Danny rolled his eyes, "Whatever... thanks for the coffee. Where's Chin?"

"He went home to shower and change. He's coming back to get me so we can meet with the governor at 8:00."

Danny nodded, not knowing if he should feel grateful to not be included in that meeting or not. He felt like his life hinged on the outcome of the meeting, but he knew it he was in good hands with Steve and Chin fighting for him. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, "Who in the world is that at this time of morning?"

Steve gave him a shrug as his friend sighed and put the much needed coffee back on the counter.

Danny opened the door to find a bright light in his face and a microphone shoved in front of him as a too-perky reporter, with camera man close behind her, invaded his space, "Lila Adams, Action 6 news... Detective Williams, is it true that you have been on paid administrative leave before the incident Friday night? What did you do last time? That was in New Jersey, wasn't it? Is that the reason you moved here to Hawaii? What do you have to say about shooting an unarmed teenaged girl? Do you feel any remorse at all?"

Thankfully, Steve walked out of the kitchen in time to hear the reporter's questions. He mentally cursed himself for not realizing sooner that a knock on his partner's door at 6:30 a.m., after the events of the last few days, was probably not going to be a good thing. He'd worried that the media would find out Danny's address and accost him, but he was more affected by the sleepless night than he realized when he didn't think of it as a possibility as soon as he heard the knock.

Danny's sleep deprived brain could not come up with a response to the reporter's abrupt appearance and overly rude questions, but thankfully he was saved from having to come up with something as he felt himself pulled back into the house as his partner took his place in the doorway.

As Steve suddenly loomed in the doorway, the reporter took half a step back and sputtered in surprise. The camera man had to quickly adjust his camera up from his view of the front of Steve's dark blue shirt which had suddenly appeared and stumbled as the reporter backed into him slightly as he did so. The reporter recovered quickly and soon had the microphone in Steve's face, "Commander McGarrett, are you here because there's more trouble with Detective Williams? Do you have an update you'd like to give us on the shooting death of Susan Winters?"

Steve glared at the reporter who, to her credit, didn't back down, "How did you get this address?"

The reporter blinked rapidly but held her ground, "I can't tell you that. But we're here now, and I'd like an update on the Susan Winters shooting. What can you tell us?"

"I can tell you that you need to get off this property right now before I arrest you for trespassing," Steve's hand hovered near his holster.

"Is that a threat, Commander McGarrett?" The young reporter tried to sound tough, but the slight waver in her voice betrayed her.

"Not in the least," Steve's smile was icy calm, "I'm just letting you know what will happen in about ten seconds if you don't leave. Now."

The reporter opened her mouth to protest but then clamped it shut again as she thought of how she could spin what they had into her story for the midday newscast. She nodded and lowered the microphone, "Very well, Commander. We'll be right over there on the sidewalk if you change your mind. We're going on at noon with whatever we have, like it or not... C'mon, Manny, let's go."

Steve watched as the reporter and Manny, the camera man, went as far as the sidewalk by the street and stopped. He glared at them for a moment, daring them to move, before stepping back inside and closing the door. He sighed heavily and turned to find Danny lurking in his shadow, teeth set on edge and fists balled in anger, "Forget them, Danny."

"Forget them?" Danny's hands flew as his words picked up and he started pacing. "How am I supposed to 'forget them,' Steven? Now I'm under siege in my own house, and they have a camera pointed this way in case I decide to do anything else that they want to misinterpret and put on the news for everyone to see. I can't do this much longer, Steve. I can't. We've got to figure this out and get them off my back..."

"Danny!" Steve grabbed Danny's shoulder to stop his movement, "I'm sorry. I should have known this would happen; I should never have let you open that door."

Danny took a deep breath, trying to control his rising anger, and to control his knee-jerk reaction to take his anger out on Steve, "It's not your fault... none of it is. You're not the one giving out my information, I trust."

Steve took his hand off Danny's shoulder as he felt the man relax just a little, "I'm sure Duke will figure that out soon enough. I know he's mad that one of his men is talking to the media without authorization especially when it concerns something like this."

Danny sank into the couch and laid his head on the back, hands rubbing over his face, and moaned, "This is all too much for this early in the morning. Where's my coffee?"

"I'll get it," Steve smirked at his partner.

Before Steve made it two steps to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Danny straightened quickly and groaned, "Now what?"

Steve held a hand up to keep Danny where he was, "I got it." Steve wrenched open the door, other hand resting on his gun, "I told you..."

Danny tried to see around Steve without coming into view of the person on the other side of the door in case it was the pesky reporter again. He watched as Steve's hand went from his gun to motioning someone inside. Danny breathed a sigh of relief, "Al, what are you doing here?"

Robert "Al" Robertson, HPD, held up a pastry bag, "I brought malasadas."

Danny grinned at the young officer who had helped them on several cases, "I knew I liked you for a reason, but how'd you get past our media watchdogs out there?"

"I saw them," Robertson frowned, "They're next door talking to a neighbor."

"Terrific," Danny muttered, "I'm fairly sure she's the one that called CPS on me."

"C'mon," Steve motioned towards the kitchen, "let's get some coffee and talk in there."

"I also came by because Duke wanted me to fill you in," Robertson explained as he sat at the kitchen island and accepted a mug of steaming coffee.

"What's going on?" Danny took a swig of his cooling coffee and grimaced.

"He wanted to let you know that they're wrapping up the investigation on the Susan Winters shooting that happened Friday night," Robertson glanced over at Steve. "He's going to send you the report as soon as he can before he sends it off to I.A. with his findings and recommendation."

"I'm sure it's good, Danny," Steve assured his friend as Danny looked panicked and hopeful all at once. "You and I both know it was a justifiable shooting."

"You weren't there," Danny pointed out.

"No," Steve agreed. "I wasn't, but I know you, Danno, and I know that you wouldn't have shot unless it was justifiable. I'm sure the findings will show that as well. Have faith."

Danny snorted, but said nothing.

Steve glanced at his watch, "I think I'll call Duke before Chin gets here. I'd like to see that report before we go talk to the governor."

As Steve pulled out his phone and left the room, Danny grabbed a malasada and waved it at Robertson before taking a big bite out of it. He savored each chew and smiled as he swallowed, "Thanks, gup gup. That hit the spot."

Robertson sighed at the detective's nickname for him. He'd forgotten why, exactly, Danny had decided to call him that, but he was pretty sure it had to do with a fish. He smiled anyway, "You're welcome. I figured you could use some cheering up."

"So what have you been up to? We haven't seen you around lately."

"Oh, you know... this and that," Robertson hedged.

Danny swallowed down the last of the quickly consumed malasada and raised an eyebrow at the younger officer, "You do know you're talking to a detective, don't you? Even if I am on administrative leave, and there's the possibility that my badge will be taken from me, and I'll be thrown in Halawa for murder, I'm still a detective... what do you mean 'this and that'?"

Even after knowing him for a couple of years, he was still amazed at how quickly a simple conversation could turn into a rant for the Jersey native. Robertson smiled almost shyly at the detective's question, "This and that... and planning a wedding."

"A wedding?!" Danny squinted at him and regarded him in silence for a moment. As Steve walked back in, pocketing his cell phone, Danny pointed at Robertson and back at himself, "You and I need to have a talk about that... there's still time to get out of it."

Robertson shook his head at the cynical answer and simply smiled. He'd heard a thing or two about Danny's opinions on marriage.

"What'd I miss?" Steve wondered as he heard the end of the conversation and saw the amused look on Robertson's face.

Danny waved him off, "Nothing. So what did Duke have to say then?"

"Duke found the unauthorized informant," Steve told them.

"Do I want to know?" Danny poured himself another mug of coffee.

Steve shrugged, "I don't even know if you know him. Officer Carew."

"You're right, I don't think I know him. So what did I ever do to him that made him turn me into such a bad guy to the media?"

"You might not have done anything," Robertson frowned. "I've worked with Carew some. He's got an uncle high up in the government, or something, so he thinks he's got connections. He's only been out of the academy a year or so, but he thinks he knows everything. I hear he used to argue with the instructors on policies because he always thought he had a better way. One of his main arguments was on lethal force and whether or not it was ever justified. He always argued that he was a good enough shot to disarm a suspect without shooting center mass. That's probably why he's stuck his nose into this."

"Terrific," Danny muttered as he finished off his second cup of coffee. He didn't think it was helping yet. "So now what?"

"Duke's already assigned him to walk a beat for a while. He also assigned him to the outdoor music festival next weekend up on the north shore. You know, the one that HPD gets called to every year and ends up arresting half the concert goers for being drunk and disorderly." Steve smiled grimly. "He's hoping to work the attitude out of him. He said to tell you he was sorry one of his guys caused you grief."

"Wasn't Duke's fault."

Steve glanced at his phone when it dinged, "Chin's here. We're going to go talk to the governor. Don't worry, Danny, we'll get everything straightened out."

Danny snorted.

"Trust me, Danno," Steve grinned.

"Oh, I do," Danny smiled. "God help me, I don't know why, but I do."

"Hey, Al," Steve paused in the doorway, "Would you mind..."

"No, problem," Robertson didn't let him finish. "I'll stay and keep Danny company."

"Don't you have to go to work at some point?" Danny wondered.

Robertson grinned, "Actually, Duke said this was my job for the day. He wanted me here to help you with whatever you needed and to keep you company because he knew Steve was meeting with the governor."

"See," Steve matched Danny's dour expression with a grin, "you're all good."

"I don't need a damn babysitter," Danny growled under his breath, but with no heat whatsoever. He was happy for the company as he watched his partner leave to meet with the governor. A meeting that could, quite possibly, decide his fate on Five-0. More importantly, the fate of his future with Grace.

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><p>AN: I have fallen behind on replying to all of your wonderful reviews. Hopefully, I've responded to each person at least once, but know that I sincerely appreciate each and every comment I get!


	7. Chapter 7

Steve tapped his foot impatiently as he and Chin waited to be called into the governor's office. He checked his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes and tried to hide his annoyed scowl that they were already well past the appointed time. He thumbed through Duke's report again, pleased that Duke had sent an officer to meet them there to hand him two reports - one for him, and one for the Governor. Steve had skimmed through it immediately upon receiving it, and now had read it thoroughly three more times. His hopes at a successful outcome had soared as he'd read the ballistics report, crime scene findings, and most importantly, the witness reports from the pharmacist and two others who clearly saw Susan Winters point a gun at Danny without giving him time to announce himself.

"You're going to wear a hole in the governor's carpet," Chin calmly told Steve as he watched his boss pace.

Steve stopped and turned to Chin, waving the report at him, "Denning has to see that Danny needs to be cleared."

"I'm sure he will," Chin, too, thought the report was conclusive, and Danny simply had no choice and had acted well within his rights to defend himself and the other bystanders.

"He has to," Steve muttered as he resumed his pacing. It had only been a few days, but Steve really needed his partner back.

Chin was saved from replying when the governor's admin silently appeared, "Commander, Lieutenant, the governor is ready for you now. This way, please."

Steve managed to nod civilly at the admin as she ushered them into the governor's office. His manners fled as he realized the governor was not alone and why he had been kept waiting. He glared but didn't have the chance to say anything that was racing through his mind.

"Gentlemen," the governor stood and smoothly interrupted Steve before he could utter a word, smirking slightly at the tirade he was sure he would have heard from the task force leader had he let him. "I'm sure you know Sergeant Cage from Internal Affairs."

"Commander McGarrett," Cage regarded the two Five-0 men coolly, "Lieutenant Kelly."

Again, before Steve could say a word, the governor held up a hand, "Commander, give me a moment to explain before you get the wrong idea. I asked Sergeant Cage to come here and give me a rundown on his investigation into Detective Williams."

Steve opened his mouth and then slammed it shut as the governor again held up a hand and shot him a look that was getting more and more annoyed by the second.

"Sergeant Cage has given me a copy of his report which, I must say, I completely agree with. I asked him to stay so that he can explain to you his findings should you have any questions."

"Sir," Steve couldn't help himself as he brandished his own report, "with all due respect, Sergeant Cage only dealt with Detective Williams during the investigation into his former partner's death. The two did not exactly see eye to eye."

"I'm well aware of that, Commander," the governor informed him. "And Sergeant Cage has also addressed that in his report so why don't we all have a seat and go over that report as well as the one from HPD you have there."

Steve sat on the edge of his seat, refusing to get too comfortable so he could jump up and argue against Cage as needed. Chin took the seat between Steve and Cage, placing the HPD report he held on the governor's desk as he sat.

"As I was saying, gentlemen," the governor leaned back in his chair, giving the three men an almost amused look. "I have looked over Sergeant Cage's report and after speaking with him, I concur with his assessment of the recent civilian shooting involving Detective Williams."

"Sir!" Steve was desperate to plead his case before he had to hear the governor say that they were going to press charges against Danny. His stomach flipped at the idea of his friend having to stand trial over what had become a giant mess. The HPD report was so clear; he just had to get the governor to take the time to look at it before siding with I.A..

"Commander, please!" the governor's voice shook the office.

Steve, suitably chastened, clamped his mouth shut and slid back in his seat a little, "Sorry, sir."

"Since you're so impatient, Commander, I'll cut to the chase," the governor almost smiled. "Internal Affairs and I agree that Detective Williams was justified in his use of force against Ms. Winters. Furthermore, we both agree that he should be removed from paid administrative leave and return to duty as soon as possible."

Steve and Chin sat in silence for a moment as the words sank in. Chin was the first to recover and smiled when he took in Steve's open mouthed look of shock. Chin reached over and tapped Steve's arm before turning back to the governor, "Thank you, sir, that's great news."

"Yes, yes..." Steve stuttered as his brain finally caught up to what he had heard, which was opposite of what he was expecting.

"See, Commander," Cage smirked. "I.A. is here to help. We were just looking for the truth; we weren't out to get Detective Williams."

Steve snorted, "It didn't feel that way."

"I understand that you and your team aren't that fond of me after the Meka investigation, but I thought that since we had cleared that up, we would be able to work together for the benefit of all of us. Believe it or not, I admire Detective Williams' dedication to his work and to his team. It's his methods that I sometimes take issue with."

"We could say the same about you," Steve countered. "Well, the methods, anyway. I'm not sure about your dedication for ruining reputations."

Cage shrugged, seemingly unfazed by the not so thinly veiled contempt, "If an officer is clean, he has nothing to worry about. It's the dirty ones we worry about... Right, Lieutenant Kelly?"

Chin ground his jaw but refused to take Cage's bait.

"That's enough, Cage," the governor warned. "You may go. I need to speak with Commander McGarrett and Lieutenant Kelly a little longer. Thank you for your report and help in this matter."

Cage stood stiffly at the dismissal and left the governor's office without another look towards Chin or Steve.

"Now, then, gentlemen," the governor picked up the HPD report and glanced through it, nodding, while he spoke. "I apologize for the necessity of involving Internal Affairs, but with Senator Grimway's very vocal self-involvement with this matter, I thought it best that we do things properly. I see that HPD's assessment concurs with ours. That's even better; now we have two reports clearing Detective Williams. The good senator will have to back down now."

"What about the media, sir?" Steve wondered. "One of the news channels showed up on Danny's doorstep this morning. They were standing on his sidewalk watching his house when we left. If he steps out at all, they're going to be all over him."

"Hmm," the governor frowned. "That's unfortunate, and, I imagine, driving him nuts."

Steve snorted, "To say the least."

"Well," the governor glanced at his planner, "I'll do a press conference this afternoon to announce that he has been cleared and the matter is to be dropped."

"Is there any way you can squeeze that in this morning? The reporter was going to run her story at noon, and I doubt it was going to be favorable."

"Hmmm," the governor studied his planner again, mentally rearranging appointments. "Yes, I think I can squeeze it in this morning. We'll get a press release out and set that up for, say, 11:45. That will be just enough time to get it in before the noon news and if that reporter decides to still run her story, she'll look pretty foolish doing it after I've announced he's been cleared."

Steve smiled. Sometimes he really liked the way the governor thought.

"So what about the issue with Child Welfare Services and Danny getting Grace back?" Chin steered them towards the other pressing matter. "What can we do about that?"

"Yes," the governor frowned. "I had the director send me a copy of Ms. Wentwood's report and supposed findings last night... interrupted his supper and made him go back to the office so I could have it last night and not wait until this morning. I don't think he was too pleased with me, but I must say that I'm not very pleased with him either."

"What did her report say?" Steve wondered, anxiety for his friend making his heart race. Now that Danny's job was secured once again, it was more important than ever to get Danny and Grace back together where they belonged.

"Her report is a bunch of drivel," the governor waved his hand. "What she supposedly has as evidence wouldn't even be considered circumstantial in court, and I am skeptical about what she has written down as facts from her interview with either Detective Williams or his daughter. She also states that the school is not cooperating."

"What?!" Steve was astounded. "I'm sure the school would be more than cooperative. Luka Hara alerted us to the situation and has been instrumental in looking out for Grace throughout. Didn't she get a statement from him?"

"No," the governor's frown deepened. "He is mentioned briefly as being present in the interview, but she states that he was uncooperative and seemed to 'side with the abusive parent despite the evidence.' I'm thinking of calling Mr. Hara myself to get his side of things."

"Yes, I think you should," Steve urged, blood boiling at Ms. Wentwood's twisting of the facts to suit her own agenda.

"I have arranged to meet with the director shortly and will be expressing my disappointment in the handling of this case. Knowing Detective Williams, I am appalled that someone could even think he's capable of abusing his daughter."

Chin and Steve nodded their agreement.

"I'm sure Ms. Wentwood would gladly point out that even people you know well are capable of being abusers, but I highly doubt that is the case in this instance. I think someone reported him after seeing and hearing all this media hype and, unfortunately for Detective Williams, Ms. Wentood, who seems to have an axe to grind against fathers, was assigned to his case and saw what she wanted to see."

"So what do I tell Danny?" Steve knew Danny's first question to him would be about Grace rather than his job.

"Tell him I will straighten this mess out, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that he has his daughter back as soon as possible." Governor Denning nodded at them and stood, "Thank you for your time this morning, gentlemen. I will call Detective Williams directly when I am done meeting with Child Welfare."

"Thank you, sir," Steve and Chin chorused.

As the door closed behind them, Steve couldn't help but still feel a little nervous concerning Danny's custody of Grace. What if the governor couldn't change the director of Child Welfare's mind and return custody to Danny?

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><p>AN: Just two more chapters to go. Thanks for hanging in there and for all of the very kind reviews. Even though I'm not able to respond to each review, know that I read them all and appreciate everyone taking the time to leave their thoughts/comments for me.


	8. Chapter 8

Danny practically bounded up the steps to The Academy of the Sacred Hearts. The smile on his face was brighter than the Hawaiian sun, and he almost felt like singing. He laughed out loud at himself and then self consciously looked around to see if anyone had heard. He shook his head, singing out loud? Definitely too many Disney movies with Grace. Danny's smile got even wider. Grace! He had spoken to Governor Denning just half an hour ago and been assured that the abuse allegations, and investigation, had been closed, and he was once again able to have custody of his daughter. He'd barely heard the governor's sincere apologies over the incident; he was so anxious to see his daughter and set their world right again.

He slowed his pace as he entered the school and headed for the office, but he could do nothing about the smile on his face. He stopped at the front desk and tried to patiently wait for the attendance secretary, who smiled at him to acknowledge his presence, to get off the phone.

"Danny?" Luka peeked out of his office and waved him over. "C'mon in."

Danny followed Luka but couldn't sit, "Everything's been straightened out with the custody issue. I know there's only an hour left of school, but I couldn't wait to come pick up Grace."

Luka grinned, "Yes, Governor Denning called me a little while ago, and I suspected as much."

"The governor called you?" Danny hadn't asked for specifics when the governor called to tell him the good news, and he suspected Steve and Chin had left out some details of their meeting this morning in order not to upset him.

"Yes," Luka sat behind his desk and smiled when Danny finally took a seat as well. "He wanted to hear about the interview with Ms. Wentwood yesterday and whether or not any of the teachers ever had any concerns over your custody of Grace. None of the teachers did, of course, and I told him I was 100% sure you were not capable of harming your daughter."

"Thank you," Danny told him solemnly and huffed out a shaky breath. "I appreciate your support. This has been an absolute nightmare."

"I'm glad it all got straightened out quickly."

"Humph," was Danny's only response. He realized it had only been a little over 24 hours, but it felt like an eternity. He was so anxious to see his daughter, and now that he'd also been cleared in the shooting, he was more than ready to get his life back on track and back to normal.

"I'll call Grace down for you," Luka smiled.

"Don't tell her I'm here," Danny's eyes twinkled.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at Luka's door. He smiled at Danny and went to open it.

"Mr. Hara?" Grace stood there uncertainly. "My teacher said to get all my stuff and come down here."

"Yes, Grace," Luka didn't move out of the doorway just yet. "I have a visitor here who wants to see you."

Grace gulped and nodded though no words would come out as tears formed in her eyes. The last time she'd been called to Mr. Hara's office, the horrid Ms. Wentwood had said mean things about her dad and said she couldn't see him any more.

"Go on in, Grace. I'll be right out here if you need me." Luka moved aside to allow her to enter and then gently closed the door behind her.

Grace stared at the floor as she maneuvered on her crutches and went into Mr. Hara's office. She flinched as the door closed , realizeing Mr. Hara hadn't come in with her.

"Monkey!"

Grace's head flew up at the sound of her dad's voice. She abandoned the crutches and her backpack and started to hop towards him, "Danno!"

"Oh, Monkey!" Danny quickly scooped her up into a huge hug, mindful of her injured knee, "I missed you, baby."

"I missed you, too, Daddy," she sniffled into his shoulder. "Does this mean I can come home with you?"

Danny nodded and carefully sat down, still holding onto his little girl, "Everything's okay, and we can go home. We don't have to worry about a thing."

"Uncle Steve and Uncle Chin made everything alright?" Grace wondered, remembering that Uncle Chin had said they had a plan last night.

Danny chuckled, eyes bright with unshed tears, "Yes, they had a little to do with it."

"I'm glad," Grace smiled. "I missed you. It was okay to stay with Auntie Kono but..."

"I know," Danny rubbed her back, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you come over some time when you want to and not because you have to."

Grace nodded, "But right now I just wanna go home."

"Me, too, monkey. Me, too."

Later that night, Danny watched Grace as she slept in her own bed. He smiled and couldn't help placing a gentle kiss on her head and whispered, "Love you, Gracie."

H

5

0

Friday afternoon Danny picked Grace up from school and still couldn't help but smile as he looked at her in the rear view mirror. The events following the shooting were starting to feel like the remnants of a bad dream as life returned to their regular routine. He had returned to work on Wednesday, and after the initial hugs and greetings upon his return to the office, life there had also returned to normal. To celebrate, Steve had invited them all to his place for a barbeque to enjoy the ohana being whole again.

"Gracie!" Kono greeted them as they pulled up at Steve's together. She watched the girl get out of the Camaro. "Where are your crutches?"

"I don't need them any more," Grace smiled, relieved to be rid of them for good.

"We got her doctor's appointment rescheduled for yesterday," Danny explained as they headed for the back of Steve's house, where they could already smell the grill and hear voices, "Doc gave her the all clear yesterday. She needs to take it easy for a couple more weeks, but she doesn't have to use the crutches."

"All right!" Kono high fived a grinning Grace. "You know, the water is very therapeutic, maybe we can go surfing..."

Danny interrupted, incredulous, "Did you not just hear what I said? She has to take it easy for a couple of weeks. That means no surfing!"

Kono laughed and winked at Grace, "Easy, brah. I meant when she was totally cleared by the doctor."

"Geez," Danny shook his head good naturedly and grumbled, "Leave her with you for a night and you're trying to turn her into a surf goddess like you."

Kono laughed again and stopped when Danny did, allowing Grace to go over to Steve and Chin talking at the grill.

"Umm... about the other night," Danny uncharacteristically looked at a loss for words momentarily, "Thank you for that... you know letting Grace stay with you at the last minute. I really appreciate it. It took a load off my mind."

"Any time, brah," Kono gave him a quick hug and then slowly started walking towards the others with her arm around his waist and his around hers. "It was my pleasure to do my part and take care of ohana."

Danny gave her a small squeeze and looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "Still not taking her surfing yet, Kalakaua."

The two shared a laugh together as they caught up with the rest of the group. Danny smiled at his friends and not for the first time, felt lucky to have become part of this ohana.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Well, here we are at the end. Thank you so much for all of your great reviews - I've enjoyed reading them all. This was definitely a departure from my usual whump-fest so I hope you enjoyed it.

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><p>The next week went smoothly for Five-0 as the media frenzy died down and no big cases landed in their laps. Danny sighed as he relaxed in the chair by the water at Steve's place. The beer in his hand was just starting to drip with condensation so he took another pull on the bottle and closed his eyes as the cool liquid slid down his throat. He finally felt fully relaxed for the first time in a week.<p>

"Hey, you okay?" Steve wondered from the other chair.

"Yeah, I'm good," Danny sighed without opening his eyes.

"Need another one?"

"No, thanks. I'll get one in a bit."

Steve studied him for a moment, "You sure you're okay?"

Danny cracked one eye open and tilted his head to the side to look at his partner, "Yes, Steven, I'm fine. Quit staring at me."

Steve smiled, "Just checking, partner. It's been a rough week."

"Yes, it was, but that's over, and I'd rather not think about it tonight."

"You got it." Steve readily agreed.

"But... thanks," Danny said seriously. "For everything. It would have been rougher without all of your help. So, thanks."

"Thought you didn't want to think about it?"

Danny narrowed his eyes and took in a deep breath but never got to start ranting as Steve's phone rang, interrupting him.

"Duke, what's up?" Steve answered. "Yeah... okay... of course. We'll be there soon... Take care of your guys, and we'll be there as soon as we can."

Danny sat up, setting his half full bottle on the ground, as Steve finished the call, "We're done with our beer, aren't we?"

"Yup, a couple of Duke's officers got into trouble out at that music festival on the North Shore. I told him we'd offer support and start the investigation."

"Officer down?"

"No," Steve shook his head. "One civilian dead and several more injured. Duke said he'd fill us in more when we got there."

The ride to the north shore was a quiet one as both Steve and Danny contemplated what could have happened. The music festival had seen its fair share of trouble over the last few years, but there had never been a death. The most trouble they'd ever had was a fist fight or two. They pulled up behind an HPD cruiser with its lights flashing and noticed Robertson talking to an EMT.

"Robertson!" Danny called out as he slammed the door shut on the Camaro. "You okay?"

Robertson looked up and waved at them as Steve and Danny approached, "Hey, guys. I'm okay. I wasn't here when it happened."

"Okay, good," Danny clapped him on the back.

"Let's find Duke," Steve told Danny.

"Over there," Robertson pointed down the beach to a knot of people.

As Steve and Danny approached, they noticed Duke off to the side talking to a young officer who was staring at the ground. Duke saw them and held up a hand for them to wait and joined them as soon as he was done talking to his officer.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Duke approached them. "This is a real mess."

"What happened?"

"It started out as the usual drunken rowdiness from the concert goers, and then some fool drew a gun and was waving it around threatening people. Officer Carew there..." he gestured to the officer he'd just been talking to.

Danny wondered briefly where he'd heard Carew's name before, and then he realized that Robertson had mentioned he was the inside informant feeding the media information on the shooting; the kid who thought he knew better than seasoned officers when it came to procedure.

"...he saw the gun and ordered the suspect to drop it," Duke continued. "The suspect continued to brandish the gun and, according to witnesses, more of a crowd gathered."

"Then what?" Steve asked softly when Duke paused to shake his head and throw a look in Officer Carew's direction.

"The suspect then pointed the weapon at one of the bystanders and threatened to shoot him. Carew drew his taser, fired and... missed."

Steve and Danny winced, envisioning the scene as Duke described it.

"The suspect then fired and wounded one of the onlookers. He's been taken to the hospital already, and the EMT's said it wasn't life threatening."

"What did Carew do?" Danny wondered.

Again, Duke shook his head, "Officer Carew fired on the suspect but decided he would shoot to disable. He shot the suspect in the shoulder."

"And..." Steve glanced at Danny, wondering how this would affect his partner after his own recent civilian shooting.

"The suspect was still able to fire and proceeded to empty his clip into the crowd, killing one and injuring five more."

"He was able to fire his entire clip?" Steve questioned.

Duke nodded, sadly, "Officer Carew froze when his shot was not effective. Officer Lopez arrived just as the suspect put in a new clip and was starting to shoot again. According to witnesses, Lopez told him to drop it, and when the suspect did not comply, he shot him in the chest... he was still breathing when EMT's took him away, but it didn't look good."

Steve nodded, "What do you want us to do?"

"Mostly I want you here for procedure. My guys are a little shook up so if you guys could check out the scene and make sure things are handled. I need to take Carew back to Headquarters and figure out what to do with him. There's going to have to be a review."

"Sure," Steve agreed, glancing at his overly quiet partner. "We'll see what we can do."

"Thanks," Duke told them as he went back to stand with Carew again.

Steve and Danny approached another small knot of people and noticed Max leaning down over a body on the sand. They nodded at him as he stood and gave them a little room.

Danny crouched down and looked into the open, lifeless eyes of a young woman. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and had been quite pretty. He noticed the sparkle of a ring on her left hand; an engagement ring. He looked to his right and noticed an officer speaking with a young man, also mid-twenties, who was staring in his direction with tears coursing down his cheeks.

"Danny?" Steve sounded concerned.

Danny didn't hear Steve as he had the sudden urge to be anywhere but where he was. He glanced over to Duke and Officer Carew. Momentarily, he maintained eye contact with Carew. Danny wanted to tell him that this was exactly why officers were trained to shoot to disable, rather than disarm. The dead woman at his feet was dead because the shooter was still able to fire with a bullet in his shoulder. It should never have happened. Her life was over just like that, and her fiance would never be the same all because Carew thought he knew better. Danny wanted to yell. He wanted to rant. He wanted to shake Carew, but none of that would change the outcome of this disastrous evening.

Danny lurched up and stumbled away, breaking eye contact with Carew and getting as far away from the woman, who shouldn't be dead, as fast as he could. He headed for the privacy of his car just as a newscaster broke through the police cordon and approached Carew, shoving a microphone in his face. Danny kept on walking, emergency lights flashing off his face as he left the scene.

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><p>The End. I'd love to know what you think -especially about the ending. Thanks for sticking with me to the end.<p> 


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